Anyone in the Print Industry (especially buyer)?
Discussion
I don't think I've come across an industry that's so 'down on it's knees' as ours. Prices are too low, not enough work out there etc etc.
Never mind!
I work at a B1 12 and 10 colour litho company in North london. We're in not too bad a position because we own the machines and building so we're financially strong. I really feel for others that aren't so fortunate.
Anyone else in this industry? if so, how's it going?
Never mind!
I work at a B1 12 and 10 colour litho company in North london. We're in not too bad a position because we own the machines and building so we're financially strong. I really feel for others that aren't so fortunate.
Anyone else in this industry? if so, how's it going?
I used to be, many, many, years ago! Its been on its knees for over 20 years (IMO) Got a few mates still in the industry, but in real terms they are probably earning a 1/3 of what they used to, and they have constant threats of redundancies, shame though, I loved my years in the trade and the money we earned (i say earned loosely 
) was ridiculous.
) was ridiculous.Worked in print for 10 years, now in a related industry. Print is in a dire state, lots of companies working very hard for very little return on investment, prices are very low, only the incredibly efficient and well run companies even stand a hope of turning a profit, unless you have a very specialist niche.
The group of which my company is part had a sizeable litho printing firm as part of the family and was doing very well until the banks for no direct reason pulled their factoring support which contributed to its demise in 2010 - two weeks before Christmas.
The company that took over the premises and most of the machinery is a print and direct mail business. They are pretty much flat out 24/7 and doing exceptionally well. Their prices are the cheapest I can find yet the quality of service and output is top drawer.
They are certainly bucking the trend in this industry though and many printers round these parts are funding the going tough.
I think that what is separating them is that those who own their plant are the ones doing the best. It's the financing of bits of kit costing anything up to a £1m which is crippling many.
Digital print is also affecting them. We have a Xerox Docucolour in the studio which looks like a photocopier but capable of printing leaflets, booklets, stationery, etc to litho-quality, instantly and cheaply.
The company that took over the premises and most of the machinery is a print and direct mail business. They are pretty much flat out 24/7 and doing exceptionally well. Their prices are the cheapest I can find yet the quality of service and output is top drawer.
They are certainly bucking the trend in this industry though and many printers round these parts are funding the going tough.
I think that what is separating them is that those who own their plant are the ones doing the best. It's the financing of bits of kit costing anything up to a £1m which is crippling many.
Digital print is also affecting them. We have a Xerox Docucolour in the studio which looks like a photocopier but capable of printing leaflets, booklets, stationery, etc to litho-quality, instantly and cheaply.
Long-time but now ex print industry bod here.
Began with a 4 year apprenticeship at a London repro house in 1988 when I left school, learning my trade of final film planning.
After I qualified, was lucky enough to get a job closer to home doing the same, at one of the St. Ives Web Division sites in Andover.
Spent 11 happy years there, but saw the first huge change in around 2000 that culled the pre-press department from 35 to 10 people, when the CTP kit came along. Fortunately for me, a bit of hard work leading up to the change saw me being promoted to night manager. It was great and I loved it - complete with all the monsterous overtime at double that was standard as you no doubt know
being able to earn a week's money and then another week's money on top by doing just a 16 hour shift on a Sunday, will never be repeated ever again I guess! 
Things carried on ok until 2005, when the work started to dry up - which led to my redundancy. Shortly after that, the entire plant closed, along with site after site in the St. Ives portfolio - and as of a couple of years ago, St. Ives the company still remains, but are out of print altogether - they now do 'marketing solutions' and have no manufacturing plants at all. Kinda tells you all you need to know about the trade - they were once one of the biggest international printers in the world!
I spent the next few years working at several financial print companies in London, each one closing down after about a year! I then 'curve balled' a bit, and did a year working at a well-known print recruitment agency. I was actually pretty good at it, as I'd come from the trade and knew my stuff - and I managed to get some good people into some great roles. However, spending every day making maybe 100 phone calls to canvass for vacancies, and maybe 98 of those calls were met with statements like "recruitment needs? lol! Don't be ridiculous - we're making redundancies!" was not my idea of fun.
And now that recruitment company is no more too.
I was then on the verge of leaving the industry, but I got roped into a general manager position at a small local B2 place, who wanted someone to 'shake up and sort out.'
I worked my arse off, streamlining the production process, eliminating waste, sorting out the purchasing and installing a decent CRM system. In that year, I saved the firm about 100 grand. Once I had done everything I could have done, the f
king bd Director made me redundant 
which I think was his plan all along - seems he thought he'd get someone in with promises of a long, stable career, then bin them once he'd picked their brains and they'd done all the hard work.
So, disillusioned, and more than a bit annoyed - coupled with the obvious fact that the industry is now all but dead...plus I had kinda had enough of management roles anyway, I turned my back on it all in 2012.
So as of now, I am one year into a 3 year medical University course that will see me qualify in 2015 as an Ambulance Paramedic! Bit of a change
Shame though. The heyday of print was great, and the trade provided me with a good living for over 20 years, taught me a bundle, and paid for my first property, lots of life experiences and 5 years of British Nationals bike racing. So I can't knock it.
It is unreal the money that was available in the late 80's though - our repro house used to charge customers (like IPC, EMAP etc.) £50 per single transparency scan for instance! And it was easy to work a normal week, with not too many overtime hours on top, and walk home with a grand on Friday amazing money at that time!
I loved the crafsman's skill of film planning though - creating pages from film, tape, opaque paint, scalpels and rulers with precision cutting on a lightbox was interesting and stimulating. It felt like making something from nothing kinda thing, and to see your pages in print at the end of it was very rewarding. Apple Macs and DTP took all that craft and romance away. But that's technology I guess.
These days, with more and more going digital - the skill and theory of print has all but disappeared. Yes, some of the high-end machines like HP Indigos and that are amazing - the results are truly stunning I must admit. But pushing buttons on a PC and churning something out from the end of a digital press is kinda dull.
RIP print
Began with a 4 year apprenticeship at a London repro house in 1988 when I left school, learning my trade of final film planning.
After I qualified, was lucky enough to get a job closer to home doing the same, at one of the St. Ives Web Division sites in Andover.
Spent 11 happy years there, but saw the first huge change in around 2000 that culled the pre-press department from 35 to 10 people, when the CTP kit came along. Fortunately for me, a bit of hard work leading up to the change saw me being promoted to night manager. It was great and I loved it - complete with all the monsterous overtime at double that was standard as you no doubt know
being able to earn a week's money and then another week's money on top by doing just a 16 hour shift on a Sunday, will never be repeated ever again I guess! Things carried on ok until 2005, when the work started to dry up - which led to my redundancy. Shortly after that, the entire plant closed, along with site after site in the St. Ives portfolio - and as of a couple of years ago, St. Ives the company still remains, but are out of print altogether - they now do 'marketing solutions' and have no manufacturing plants at all. Kinda tells you all you need to know about the trade - they were once one of the biggest international printers in the world!
I spent the next few years working at several financial print companies in London, each one closing down after about a year! I then 'curve balled' a bit, and did a year working at a well-known print recruitment agency. I was actually pretty good at it, as I'd come from the trade and knew my stuff - and I managed to get some good people into some great roles. However, spending every day making maybe 100 phone calls to canvass for vacancies, and maybe 98 of those calls were met with statements like "recruitment needs? lol! Don't be ridiculous - we're making redundancies!" was not my idea of fun.
And now that recruitment company is no more too.
I was then on the verge of leaving the industry, but I got roped into a general manager position at a small local B2 place, who wanted someone to 'shake up and sort out.'
I worked my arse off, streamlining the production process, eliminating waste, sorting out the purchasing and installing a decent CRM system. In that year, I saved the firm about 100 grand. Once I had done everything I could have done, the f
king bd Director made me redundant which I think was his plan all along - seems he thought he'd get someone in with promises of a long, stable career, then bin them once he'd picked their brains and they'd done all the hard work.So, disillusioned, and more than a bit annoyed - coupled with the obvious fact that the industry is now all but dead...plus I had kinda had enough of management roles anyway, I turned my back on it all in 2012.
So as of now, I am one year into a 3 year medical University course that will see me qualify in 2015 as an Ambulance Paramedic! Bit of a change
Shame though. The heyday of print was great, and the trade provided me with a good living for over 20 years, taught me a bundle, and paid for my first property, lots of life experiences and 5 years of British Nationals bike racing. So I can't knock it.
It is unreal the money that was available in the late 80's though - our repro house used to charge customers (like IPC, EMAP etc.) £50 per single transparency scan for instance! And it was easy to work a normal week, with not too many overtime hours on top, and walk home with a grand on Friday
amazing money at that time!I loved the crafsman's skill of film planning though - creating pages from film, tape, opaque paint, scalpels and rulers with precision cutting on a lightbox was interesting and stimulating. It felt like making something from nothing kinda thing, and to see your pages in print at the end of it was very rewarding. Apple Macs and DTP took all that craft and romance away. But that's technology I guess.
These days, with more and more going digital - the skill and theory of print has all but disappeared. Yes, some of the high-end machines like HP Indigos and that are amazing - the results are truly stunning I must admit. But pushing buttons on a PC and churning something out from the end of a digital press is kinda dull.
RIP print
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